By Isaura Ramírez Brenes Adaptability is the key to success in teaching. While exploring ways to adapt gamification platforms to the classroom, I came across this excellent website called Technology Advice: TechnologyAdvice is a resource for both buyers and sellers of business technology. By educating and advising buyers on the best technology for their needs, they help improve their business, and simplify their operations. Their site features hundreds of user reviews, original market research, product videos, and other unbiased resources to simplify the technology buying process. How does it work? It's easy to use; all you have to do is answer a couple of questions on their website: http://technologyadvice.com/gamification. Once you finish and provide an email address, the results will be sent as soon as the match is done. You can also call an in-house-specialists for guidance, and the good news is, both services are free!
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By Justin Michael Bale A fellow student in another class on social media created this wonderful "Gamification in eLearning" google community. His name is Daniel Beatty and I think he did an excellent job in creating this networked learning space. Rather than reinvent the wheel, check out and join his group, TONS of information here.
By Justin Michael Bale Pros
Cons
SummaryRezzly is a great tool for implementing gamification elements into your lessons. It does a really good job of organizing content and guiding students through a dynamic learning path that can be changed at any time. The feedback and approval system is a great way to stay on top of your students work and create an easy dialogue. It takes a fair amount of time to bootstrap and get running, but I think it is worth the investment. To use the teacher tools you must take lessons on everything from children's internet rights to course design which can seem overwhelming. Having been through these tutorials and designing a course with in Rezzly, I can say it has a lot of interesting features to offer just about any learning setting. I thoroughly enjoyed the process of mapping out a learning process into quests with level ups and deciding what comes next! Using Yu-kai Chou's Octalysis Tool for analyzing the 8 core drives of gamification, here is how I rated Rezzly in the various aspects. As you can see it does a pretty good job in most areas.
By Isaura Ramírez Brenes The Tecnológico of Costa Rica has improved its teaching-learning practices thanks to the implementation of TED Digital Learning Activities Manager, an alternative way to combine games while learning. With letter soup, crossword puzzles, word ordering and memory games, classrooms are enhanced by a wider array of blended learning activities through the capabilities of this incredible learning tool. Nuria Figueroa, a Differential and Integral Calculus professor, has reported great success in using the tool in and out of her class. Along with the software, the university gave her 40 tablets so her students could take advantage of the technology. The university's equity policy made this gift available to all without making a distinction between those who are and are not able to afford it. Students always complain that math courses are abstract and difficult to understand. This is why professor Figueroa highlighted in her article the reasoning behind the School of Mathematics adopting this tool as a whole. The department also acquired a set of digital supports such as Geogebra, Geometry (that uses augmented reality to learn), Aurasma, Socrative, and Kahoot, as well as other software apps so that the students employ a more effective learning process. Based on the original infographic
By Morgan O'Brien Quest to Learn is a game-based middle/high school in Manhattan. It was created by a group of educators and game designers to help address the issue of student engagement. The teachers explain in the video how game elements create a learning environment that gets to the heart of how things work. The school seeks to expose students to the underlying systems that govern both our natural and technological worlds. Like any good game-based educational experience, the school seeks to engage students in a meaningful and relevant way. According to Nicholas Jurman, the school’s principal, “One of our primary goals for our students is that by the time they graduate from Quest to Learn they will be true systems thinkers and designers, understanding that the important challenges in the world can’t be solved in simple ways, and must be approached from many different perspectives and angles.” I like the systems thinking focus. I am a system thinker; it’s how I make sense of the world. I can imagine how this model might not work for all students. I researched some reviews of the school, and found, as with most innovative concepts, there were mixed opinions. The school seemed great for some, but not accessible to others. After all of the reading and viewing I did for this project, I found a lot to love about gamification. Naming some of the constituent elements of a game that result in the positive effects, helped me understand how and why they make such excellent frameworks for education. I do imagine a group of people, likely a significant portion of our population, whom this model may not work for. I know people who are not really motivated to learn the rules of, or play new games. I wonder how they would respond to a gamified class, or an entirely gamified school! Either way, there are some rich conversations to be had about this topic. Learn more about Quest to Learn at their website. By Morgan O'Brien I am reading an excellent book titled, Reality is Broken, Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World by Jane McGonigal. This book operates from the perspective that games are extraordinarily valuable not just for fun, but also for developing serious skills and solving real problems. Jane’s video posted above also tackles this issue She talks about “epic wins,” and how the emotions evoked by solving problems within a game are the same that need to be encouraged in the real world. She defines a game as having four critical components: -Goals -Rules -A feedback system -Voluntary participation Three out of the four are also criteria for how I structure my classroom and teaching. The last one, voluntary participation, is not necessarily a part of public school, but might be the most important motivating factor for students. Why does a student spend hours trying to solve a level or kill a tough creature in a video game, yet not seem interested in how the US Government functions? How can I give my students more choice in order to allow them to opt in, or voluntarily focus on a problem or project? Games offer us an excellent framework for how to structure learning experiences. They also give us a great example of what success looks and feels like. Games are cooperative, encourage problem solving, and motivate participants with regular, validating feedback. Interesting thoughts in the age of attention being perhaps our most valuable commodity. By Morgan O'Brien I am currently engaged in conversations and a project about games and learning. This is a hot topic c and seems to be becoming a viable methodology for teaching and training. In my own experience as a middle school teacher, games are everywhere. This is particularly true with video games. I have been a game enthusiast for as long as I could remember as a result of my father’s career as a software engineer. I frequently remember sitting in class waiting for school to end so I could test out my latest idea for “The Legend of Zelda,” or “Castle Wolfenstein.” As games get more sophisticated, especially in the realm of cooperative gaming, the viability as a skills builder also increases. I wondered how true my anecdotal information regarding gamer numbers was, and found my way to the Entertainment Software Association’s annual report. This organization seems to be a reliable, albeit slightly biased source of information for the industry as a whole. According to a recent study conducted by the ESA, “more than 150 million Americans play video games and 63 percent of households are home to at least one person who plays video games regularly, or at least three hours per week. The average gamer is 35 years old, and 73 percent are age 18 or older. Nearly half (41 percent) of gamers are female and women over the age of 18 represent a significantly greater portion of the game-playing population (31 percent) than boys age 18 or younger (17 percent). A majority of parents (68 percent) say video games are a positive part of their child’s life: 88 percent think that game play is fun for the whole family and 76 percent believe playing games offers a good opportunity to connect with their child.” These are big time percentages of our population. What it translates to is a whole lot of people thinking about and playing games. What does that mean for me as a teacher? Well, several thoughts come to mind. First, games are not going anywhere. As our percentage of “Digital Natives” increases so it seems do our gamer numbers. Second, there must be some serious value derived from these games in order to garner this level of participation. Third, I have a lot to learn and borrow from the gaming world in order to reach my students most effectively. Not only do many people play games, but they also work in the games industry. According to same report, games have become an economic force within our society. This helps solidify the fact that games have a place in education. I have no reason to believe that we will see a decrease in gaming or associated jobs. With the recent ubiquitousness of virtual and augmented reality technology I expect some serious innovation in the gaming world.
By Lisa Fish “Badges ruin intrinsic motivation!” How many times have we heard this? But what about Grades? Grades can also do much to damage the intrinsic motivation of a student and is often very limiting in helping students understand where they failed an assignment or subject. This is where badges could help. Badges can be a nice addition to the grading system by demonstrating academic accomplishments and providing more specific feedback to students, all within a hierarchical playing field. By leveling up through achievements and collecting badges along the way, students can visualize their standing in competencies and calculate their steps to the end goal of mastery. Global Kids, Inc. notes that badges "support learners to give language to and value what they are learning, by offering names for their new competencies and providing a venue that recognizes their importance." But badging can fail epically if not used in the right way. Global Kids looks closely at badging systems designed for learning and offers six ways to inform understanding in our emerging badging ecology. It’s worth a full read if you’re seriously considering badges for your classroom. Why do you want to use badges? The following list might help answer that question:
In conclusion Teched Up Teacher, Chris Aviles, offers this sage advice for those of you still on the fence about it: “It is clear that intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation isn’t black and white, but gray. The reality is our best students don’t need badges or even Gamification to be successful. Your best students will perform well no matter what system you install in your classroom. . . . Can badges zap a kid’s intrinsic motivation? Absolutely. It happens, but not nearly at the frequency people believe it does. I’m starting my third year using Gamification and I’ve never seen it, but I have seen the power that unlocking an Achievement has on a student’s self-esteem. Gamification is about bringing the bottom up and badges done well are an important part of that process.” And once you come down off the fence, check out this article on 5 Awesome Resources for Badges in the Classroom to get started! By Isaura Ramírez When I think of the word “game” several thoughts come into my head: fun, run, dirt, scratches, UNO game, laugh, and share. They’re special reminders to me of what a fun childhood or even adult life away from electronic devices should be. Nowadays, fun often involves tablets, cell phones, Wii, Minecraft . . . . you name it. And it’s not a bad thing to enjoy these devices. It’s okay to take the best of technology and bring out the best in someone, or to achieve a specific objective or result. Indeed, it’s our job to take advantage of these new technologies and, as teachers, transform these gaming concepts from a face-to-face environment into a virtual one. And more importantly, use gaming concepts to teach vital cultural and life lessons. So in my search for how gaming or gamification has been used for teaching complex ideas in learning environments, I stumbled upon this story by game designer Brenda Romero, where she tackles the theme of slavery and demonstrates the impact it has on kids. In her TED talk, she utilizes the process of storytelling in helping the player understand the deeper and more profound aspects of this difficult topic. Several thoughts come into my head after watching this video, but the three most important are:
All of us know that the correct use of gamification determines the success or failure of a learning strategy. In Romero’s case, she is an expert and was dealing with her daughter, so her motive was more personal. But this makes the strategy far more effective and the main idea even more attention-grabbing. I am pretty certain Romero’s daughter will never forget this wonderful story-game her mother created, and will grow up to teach others in the same way. By Lisa Fish Gamification has always been a fuzzy concept to me at best, and a potential teacher nightmare at worse. Too many things could go wrong if done incorrectly and it just scared me off. To clarify what gamification is and get over my angst, I turned to Chris Haskell and Rezzly for part two (see Blowing Up the Gradebook for part one) on how to incorporate gaming principles into the classroom successfully. But first, what is Rezzly? Formerly called 3D GameLab, Rezzly is a gamified content creation platform where teachers can design quests and badges to create personalized learning for their students. Haskell gives an overview in his video: Looks pretty flashy, but what does it all mean? Dr. Haskell first makes the case that in the Information Age there are multiple ways to accomplish tasks and receive credit for those tasks. We must change our thinking first and foremost. Gone are the old ways of tracking student progress with pen and paper. Next, time-based delivery is starting to be a thing of the past. Alternative ways of pacing are now coming into play. With Rezzly, learning is built more around a continuum and takes into consideration how much a student already knows. If a student can move through curriculum quickly and accomplish 30 modules in one semester versus 10, then they may do so. It’s all about providing a variety of learning experiences and giving students meaningful choices. For example, a teacher can provide 80 activities for a math topic and require a student to pick 20 that appeal to them. Here is a screenshot of Rezzly’s dashboard that displays a pool of interesting activities from which a student can choose. Again, this reinforces the idea that multiple paths lead to learning. And the beauty of this system is that open resources can be pulled from all over the web and shared between users. There are a number of vital components shown here: the activity title, point values, resources, student’s ratings (effective feedback!), average time of completion, badges earned, comments, and other important communications found in a LMS. And as explained on Rezzly’s website: “As students complete each quest, they can level up to new assignments on their journey toward an “A.” Teachers have the ability to approve quests or put them on auto-approval so students can keep progressing while waiting for their teacher’s feedback on milestone work.” The important thing to note here is that students can redo the assignment for higher points. They are not penalized for what they do not know, but instead may expand their own schema and improve their work as they progress through the activity bank. Check out this student’s perspective of quest-based learning: One of the cool features of this platform is the ability to grant badges, achievements and awards for quests completed. And the badges can link directly to the Mozilla digital backpack system for handy storage. Teachers also have the option of unlocking extended features when certain levels have been reached, as well as granting virtual and in-class prizes for certain badges. For example, homework passes, ice cream coupons, donated gifts or special privileges can all be used to increase motivation. It may be a lofty conclusion to make, but I will venture to say Rezzly shows us the future of learning. It’s certainly a fun way to learn, in any case. Click here for Lisa Dawley’s most excellent Prezi about Rezzly and jump over to the resources page for her whitepapers on quest-based design. By Lisa Fish Chris Haskell, professor of EdTech at Boise State University, has a unique idea: let’s do away with grades in school altogether and replace them with achievements, points and badges. His idea is to swap out our traditional method of grading and replace it with something closer to leveling up in the game world, which he says is driven by intrinsic motivation and far more representative of the true quality of our work. Making a game of the gradebook? Gasp! Some would say this is absurd. But the idea is quickly becoming popular in educational circles. Haskell makes a strong case in his TedX talk that our Industrial Age model of education is based on an outdated sorting system which seeks to rake out the diamonds (good students) and bury the rest. Basically we “rate the product: A, B, C, D, F. . . F goes to the dog food, and the A goes to the top. We’re sorting by quality.” And certainly, for a time, this worked well for those who were not born into wealth. School was a vehicle for bettering oneself in life and moving out of poverty. But schools need to reflect the society they currently serve. The Industrial Age model is giving way to a new Information Age model, and this requires a set of skills for global citizenship. A global citizen must understand:
How can school accomplish this? Haskell emphasizes that games will be a key player in this new educational landscape. Games are a powerful for many reasons, he says. One is that they are not mandatory—no one is required to play them. We play them for fun, for growth, interaction, rewards and socialization. It’s a free and open field of exploration. With game elements in mind, Dr. Haskell suggests these classroom rules: No homework, no due dates, students have choice, we let them play through a curriculum, and as teachers, we just do a better job at tracking the learning that’s taking place. Sound crazy? Apparently not. Dr. Haskell and the faculty at Boise State University set up a class which awarded experience points for accomplished tasks and allowed ample room for failure. Indeed, failure is a highly valued commodity in the game world, because that’s how you win. Why can’t this apply to learning as well? Multiple paths were created through the curriculum, not just one “winning condition.” Badges, leaderboards, rewards and experience points were set up to take students on a journey through the multiple teacher-designed tasks, or “quests.” The system that formally punished students with Cs, Ds, and Fs was now a fun, interactive way to complete assignments in a more individual format.
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